House of the Day: 185 St. James Place

Great House for the price...

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:33 PM

worthless once...

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:33 PM

This is a great block in CH I think this should fly off the market fast... There are many houses on the market in BS and CH cut brownstoner seems to only like the 3mil areas....

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:35 PM

"light scones in their original placements" - must be pretty stale by now. And who knew they had "light" food back then?

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:35 PM

Set-up as a Triplex - Kind of limiting if you are looking for rental income.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:36 PM

I like the triplex set up.. I don't want a bunch of people in my house...

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:39 PM

I love the colors on those houses. The pale blue shutters, and the rich deep mossy green on the bay window on the house next to it. It's so flattering and charming. LPC really needs to get over its aversion to color for doors and trim.

As for saying there are no houses on the market - so much for picking up a bargain when the market drops! That's just not possible when nothing's for sale. It's absurd for people to think there are going to be as many properties for sale during an upswing in the RE market as during a downturn. And yet they really actually do think that. Going around believing they can have their pick of the entire Brooklyn market at a big discount. Even in a better RE market, a good house with minimal problems is still really hard to find. It's not like there's one popping up available whenever you feel like buying one. If you find a house you love you have to grab it. It's nervewracking though, that's for sure.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:42 PM

a few more unique surprises"?

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:42 PM

I'd want a triplex too, or make it a one-family house. For this price, someone can have the whole house to themselves for the price of a large condo.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:44 PM

Oh I worded that badly at 1:42, it should be:
"It's absurd for people to think there are going to be as many properties for sale during a downturn as there were during the upswing in the RE market."

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:47 PM

If it was 20' instead of 16', it'd be a steal.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:54 PM

This home is priced so well.. Great block... Now this should have a contract on it soon... I wish I had an extra 1.2m lol... I think once Fulton Street gets its act together this house should do well in the future... NOT REA...

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:55 PM

This home is priced so well.. Great block... Now this should have a contract on it soon... I wish I had an extra 1.2m lol... I think once Fulton Street gets its act together this house should do well in the future... NOT REA...

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:56 PM

Looks like a do. For 1.2m there is also a house on St. James between Lafayette and Dekalb. It is a 5 fam, rent stabilized brownstone. 2 families not moving. 3 apts. vacant. Deals are out there but clearly not plentifull. Can't find much around 1.2m these days. This house might be a real do for some. Hell, for me. I'm gonna inquire.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 1:56 PM

Beautiful!
Wish there was more like this on the site.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:00 PM

Looks like I could bang my head on the ceiling in the bedroom.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:06 PM

I called location3 about it last week and it is already in contract. Sucks. Seems like it went into contract before or immediately after they listed it in The Times, but the ad stays there. They don't seem to be very quick pulling things down. They have had a Ft Greene listing on their site for ages that has already closed. They're also not very good about getting back to you when you call, so you're left hanging forever. I was beginning to think it was a scam agency until I finally spoke to someone.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:07 PM

what kind of rent would that apt fetch in this area?

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:14 PM

2:07 - that's why I only like listings by Corcoran.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:14 PM

600 sq ft apt in CHill could not get more than a $1000.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:19 PM

Great block, great houses--I know the couple in 181, which is a match to 183 and 185. I think they used to be Pratt professors homes at the turn of the century. Nice backyards, too.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:27 PM

@2:19
Oh yeah? Care to show me a 600sf apartment in Clinton Hill for $1000 or less? Not possible.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:32 PM

Maybe they listed it just because they had to legally, or something. Too bad it's gone baby gone.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:34 PM

If this were in my price range, and I were in the market, it's one of the few houses I've seen here that makes me want to take a second look.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:37 PM

Hi - this house is already in contract. It was only on the market 5 days. I was personally involved in an intense bidding war. The house is amazing. The former owner did a great job of restoring the original details and upgrading the mechanicals. It also has a nicely landscaped backyard with a goldfish pond.

I know for a fact that the final sales price is significantly above the asking price. I bid significantly above asking, and was bested by someone who made the offer significantly higher than mine.

It really sucked! I loved that house!

By the way Brownstoner, you are crazy late on this one. I bid on it during the last week in January

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:43 PM

How long would it take us to sell our house FSBO? The house is prime FG. 21' or so wide lot Needs work and a reno. Not for the faint of heart I guess but we enjoy it. Buyer will probably plunk $200-330K in to make it perfect before moving in. Is a double duplex. No tenants. Good sized rooms throughout. Used as a one family and could stay that way. Thinking of asking in the 1.5 range. What's the market for this kind of place? Will it fly off the shelf or should we price lower...could we price it higher?

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:45 PM

So do we get another HOTD today...since this one is off the market

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:46 PM

Please note how much prettier the butterscotch color windows look than the ugly white windows.
There is a method to the madness.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:54 PM

How could you have bid on this the last week in January when it has only been posted in the New York Times for 14 days?

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:57 PM

"How could you have bid on this the last week in January when it has only been posted in the New York Times for 14 days?"

I'm not the bidder, but it says " >14 days" on the NY Times ad. That means it was listed MORE THAN 14 days ago. I saw this listing a long time ago when it was first posted.

And the other poster is right about this brokerage firm keeping their few listings online FOREVER even long after they've closed.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:02 PM

"New York Times for 14 days?"
Its called relisting. they charge you for two weeks at a time.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:07 PM

"Oh and BTW Brownie is deleting my comments LOL"

Bout fucken time Asshat

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:08 PM

2:20, actually you asked 3 times yesterday, not 3 difft people. Still I too think it's weird not to include the ask in the post.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:14 PM

Once, twice, three times a crazy...

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:24 PM

It's a good question actually. I wouldn't be surprised if Corcoran requested the price not be included in order to increase click counts. It's all about the clicks.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:29 PM

Case closed. Next!

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:34 PM

"in order to increase click counts"
WTF?

What are they gonna say to the seller "we got 400 hits today"

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:39 PM

Adios.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 3:55 PM

B'stoner:

Speak! What is going on here!

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 4:03 PM

Mr. Brownstoner--Please readmit The What. I find his remarks refreshing in a forum that sometimes gets way too boosterish (His remark about this being a circle jerk was right on the money). While not a fan of profanity, he uses it the way it should be used--pithy and funny. I look forward to reading his posts-he always gives me a laugh and I'm always quoting his better "rants" to my husband. His sky-is-falling demeanor is certainly forgivable and can be overlooked because he does raise some excellent points about finance we'd all do well to take seriously. Your blog will be a poorer place without him.

C'mon, You know that The What rises way above the usual disgusting snarkiness and immaturity here. Think of him as the Court Jester here who is able to tell the truths nobody else dares to.

Carolyn

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 4:06 PM

'Brownstoner's out of the office right now'
=
Brownstoner went to pick up 'The What' from School.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 4:23 PM

What makes everyone think The What is a man? The What is obviously my sister in law.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 4:32 PM

"Most of the time Gabby's shit is either totally dead wrong or ridiculous anyway"
LOL. Totally agree.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 4:34 PM

If people are willing to pay big bucks to live in Williamsburg (Williamsburg!) I think
the real estate climate in Brooklyn is pretty strong.
When I travel and see some of the gorgeous places around the country where they can't give the stuff away and then I think about the demand for butt-ugly Williamsburg and Gowanus. Yikes!
We must be doing something right.

the whatever

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 4:48 PM

This house went fast!!! I was also involved in the "bidding war" that got out of control. The house was finally won by a woman who said she would bid $20K higher than any offer on the house with no mortgage contingency or home inspection. (What is this 2003?) Anyway, we were so frustrated by this, that my fiance and I bid a couple of times just to make the price go up for her!

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 4:55 PM

4:59 you must be the lucky winner or the broker...

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:02 PM

4:55 you will find a home, hell since you people are always talking about foreclosed homes in Bedford Stuyvesant there are some really nice ones that are going up soon one is 119 MacDonough Street in historic Stuyvesant Heights its like 400K. The other one is 259 or 257 not sure which one very nice home on Hancock Street check out the photo here: http://www.nyc-architecture.com/BES/BED017-255-259HancockSt.htm

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:08 PM

4:55 bidding the place up like that just creates a higher comp and leads to the one you will eventually buy being priced higher. You just screw yourself in the end.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:11 PM

5:12 - how can it so "clearly" be a lie if you already also acknowledge that the agent could have divulged the info?

I agree with 4:59. You are definitely the broker doing a little CYA action or the winning bidder trying to get some "evidence" against the broker. Hilarious!

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:18 PM

If there is a bidding war, there is usually a final closed envelope bid (been part of 3 of these as buyer, and sold our apt this way)

What is this "i'll bid 20k over" BS?

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:22 PM

How can you do any CYA or get evidence from a 90% anonymous blog?

"Well I read it on Brownstoner"

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:24 PM

Dealing with 3location- sounds about right to me. They are not the most professional people.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:25 PM

5:12 - that is a pretty sexist comment. Had 4:55 used the pronoun "he" you would have no issue. However, since 4:55 used "she" you automatically assumed that instead of using a pronoun to describe an unknown individual, 4:55 must have known the sex of the individual.

He and she I am not an English major, but I do recall that it is perfectly acceptable to use the pronoun he or she when describing a person of unknown sex.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:29 PM

5:26 - people make irrational decisions all the time. We need look no further than our current government.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:32 PM

Agreed 5:32. Let's all move on now.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 5:33 PM

what a handsome house, no wonder it sold.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 6:02 PM

the brownstoner photo is lightyears better than the photo on the location web site.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 6:03 PM

I will say this: I rant about REAL things. Things about our Economy, Banking System, Mutant Real Estate Bubble and The Asshole Industrial Complex. No one, I mean no one has refuted anything that I have posted. And you know why, because they have some interest in it. Take for example: Our beloved Brownstoner himself. He overpaid for this Brownstone (I will put up 1000.00 bet on that anytime). So he and others need to hype their shit! But now the fucking air is coming out of our RE market. So what he do? He post overpriced shit on this blog and don't write about where he lives (Ha Ha). You notice he's in Park Slope or Billybburg or Whateverthefuck but, not where he lives. Now this assfuck is mad at the What. The What points out the obvious in our markets and make some fun doing it. Hey Brownie it's not about The What or Brownstoner, it's about our future. America is fucked financially and it will take some pain to correct it..

The What (BBQing on his Island. It's paid for)

Someday this war is gonna end.....

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 6:14 PM

The 2:43pm post is so obviously bogus. One look at those photos and it's clear the house (while having some nice detail and, hence, lots of potential) is currently very far from being "amazing."

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 6:32 PM

The postings of the person that calls himself "what" are repetitive and boring.
Lewis Carroll could write nonsense verse very well. this person cannot. I say delete him.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 6:42 PM

And who the hell are you, 6:42?

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 6:50 PM

"600 sq ft apt in CHill could not get more than a $1000."
Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 2:19 PM

excuse? I had to fight people off when renting my 670 sq ft apt around the corner from this one for $1550 per month 9 months ago. everyone kept thanking us for keeping below market.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 11:05 PM

This house was priced perfectly for the block. If any of you follow the real estate on this block you will know that a condo at 112 went for 1.125 a month and half earlier which makes this house a bargain especially with the rental income which will fetch about $1500 based on the comps in the area of similar places.

Posted by: guest at February 14, 2008 11:10 PM

People are retarded for paying these high ass sale prices OR rents to live in Clinton Hill or whatever. What, everybody works for Goldman Sachs? That's why America has a negative savings rate and needs to be bailed out. NYC (especially Brooklyn) is overrated. Not saying it shouldn't be rated at all, just OVERrated. When the shit REALLY hits the fan with the economy, there will be a mass exodus of middle class peeps to the burbs or hometowns. The population is large only because of the poor who stay here because of the social services. This RE/rental bubble pyramid scheme will soon come crashing down to earth. High rents are a byproduct of high RE prices and will be tied to their downfall.

Posted by: guest at February 15, 2008 1:15 AM

"So what he do? He post overpriced shit on this blog and don't write about where he lives"

I'm guessing from these sort of sentences that English is not the What's first language. If that's so, he's pretty good at explaining his arguments. I surely couldn't rant in a second language.

Posted by: guest at February 15, 2008 8:19 AM

"he's pretty good at explaining his arguments"
======================
The What is an idiot.
======================

The good grammer on his posts are just copied and pasted.

He's a bitter ex-broker.
Think about that, good brokers in this city make TONS of money, tons!

Why would you be an "ex" broker.
1. You sucked at your job and had to move on.
2. You we're fired.
3. Maternity leave.
3. Greener pastures.

Buy his angey rants, I really dont think its the later, do you?

Posted by: guest at February 15, 2008 8:36 AM

8:36--speaking of grammar and spelling...

Posted by: guest at February 15, 2008 10:27 AM

I love Mr. the What.

Posted by: guest at February 15, 2008 10:31 AM

I hope Mr. What stops down at the Brooklyn Flea and spends some of that money he has socked away. Those vendors will need it. As for the high real estate prices, it goes further than that. Parents are paying hundreds of dollars for Hahanna Montana tickets, super bowl seats, etc. If they got it and want to spend it then that's fine. It's the people who are on the edge that got caught up in the RE market that really lost out on the "American Dream." Feel for them, not someone who bought a brownstone and couldn't make back their 2 mil and had to settle for breaking even on the sale.

The What Not

Posted by: guest at February 15, 2008 11:29 AM

I love the shutters, love the color.

I think shutters are original on these types of houses. The house looks more balanced with the shutters. If there were wood shutters on these houses 100 years ago, the wood on an exterior would not survive. So just because maybe they were torn off in the 1930's or something doesn't mean they were never there. There are plenty of these style buildings in Manhattan, older ones than this one in fact, WITH shutters on them. Brooklyn shouldn't only be looking at what Brooklyn buildings look like when determining which details might be original or not. Brooklyn underwent tacky renos in the 20th century and things torn off. So we should be looking at parts of Manhattan that were left more pristine and maintained better, to see what the houses may have looked like originally.

Posted by: guest at February 15, 2008 11:46 AM